Imaginings
by Siah
Summary: A collection of 'moments', companion piece to "My Brother's Keeper" and "The Song Of Imladris"


60 Years after "My Brother's Keeper"  
  
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Elrohir hated the way her skin felt- like parchment that had gotten wet and dried into unusable creases. Even the color had changed. What was once vibrant and pink, now a sallow yellow, laced with light purple bruisings- it was un-natural, sickly. How could Elladan stand to stroke it, even occasionally brushing his lips to it? Surely he could see that he was caressing death.  
  
His brother suffered, he could see that. He could feel it too.  
  
Elrohir forced himself to walk to the bedside once more, placing a comforting hand on his twin's bowed shoulders. Elladan smiled gratefully at him- a watery, half-hearted imitation of his usually toothy grin.  
  
It was worse than had he not smiled at all.  
  
Elrohir studied the red-rimmed green eyes, so like his own, and saw the grief locked behind their glassy surface. It was possible that while Elladan knew humans were mortal, he dismissed the eventual consequences it would bring and now...well...now..  
  
She would be gone soon. Gone to that mysterious place of her religion where good was rewarded and wrongs were punished. Elrohir thought this idea odd- as no human or elf could entirely call themselves pure nor evil. But that was not for him to decide and it seemed to bring her comfort when his brother read from the book written by her gods- as he was doing now.  
  
Elladan's rich voice whispered the passages to his longtime friend, stopping only to brush her face occasionally with the back of his hand. He would miss her. It seemed to him that sometimes she alone recognized the hidden complexities of his nature. She never laughed at him when he told her of his dreams, nor did she chide his failings. She simply- accepted.  
  
Her chest rattled and Elladan blanched.  
  
While he longed to see the painful last days ended, he dreaded what it would mean when they did. He both loathed and cherished these last hours with her.  
  
"She breathes still." Elrohir comforted his brother quietly after placing a hand on her breast. It use to be so strong- a place to rest ones cheek and cry out their sorrows, now he feared his touch would hurt her, crumbling the weak flesh.  
  
Elladan did not look at his twin, instead began again to read from her favorite book, his numb lips tripping over the words with no real understanding. He read because it made her feel better and because it allowed him not to speak his own thoughts.  
  
It was unfair.  
  
Why was she leaving him? Didn't she realize that he needed her still? It made him angry. One was not suppose to desert their friends, yet she was going away, forever. He did not even have the comfortable thought of reuniting in Mandos, as humans did not go to that sacred place.  
  
Unable to help himself, he addressed her. "You shouldn't leave me."  
  
Her eyes fluttered open a bit recognizing that she was being addressed. "I would stay if I could, little one," she rasped.  
  
Little One. Oh how the years had changed them. Now, her body was shriveled and small while his proud frame loomed over her dying husk. He would gladly give her his strength as she once did for him.  
  
It hadn't been long ago-merely a blink in time for him. He had barely done anything with these years, and yet she had raised a family, buried a husband, her child and had lived her own full circle.  
  
"I..I..don't understand this." Elladan could not explain to her how horrifying it was for an Elf to watch the aging process. It seemed a betrayal of ones on body to do this. He laid his head gently on her mattress, and cried.  
  
"Warriors don't cry." She said softly, reaching a frail hand to pet his dark hair. "Especially over something as silly as dying." She closed her eyes and lay back against the pillow.  
  
Elrohir could see that it cost her much to talk to his brother.  
  
"Elladan', he said quietly, squatting to hug his weeping brother, 'she doesn't want you to fret so."  
  
"Listen to your brother, so sensible." She now looked on him with fond eyes. "You will look out for my lamb wont you?"  
  
"Yes my lady." Elrohir could not meet her gaze. How did she know? How could she see that he could barely look at her now? It was foolish, but he felt as though if he got too close, too near, it would happen to him to.  
  
Elladan's entire body seemed to shudder with painful grief and Elrohir could not calm the tremors. It was the first time in many years, he could not cajole, comfort or distract the mood of his twin.  
  
"Elladan, its not so bad." Her voice was thinner now and her hand ceased its movement, lying on the crown of his head. "I am very tired, and I want this rest."  
  
Elladan lifted his head to see if there was truth in those words. How could she ever WANT this.  
  
"There is a note for you there.. on.. the mantel to take. with you" Her words were broken now, harder to understand.  
  
Elrohir resisted the urge to cover his brother's eyes in that last moment. He did not want him to see or feel a human soul leave its shell- as it had to be an awful thing. It wasn't.  
  
It was a quiet exit - gentle and peaceful.  
  
And when it was done, both could see that there was nothing there left of their friend. The corpse held only the vaguest of reflections of that which was her life.  
  
It did not trap her any longer.  
  
Elrohir walked to the fireplace, retrieving the parchment atop its shelf and handed it to his twin almost reverently.  
  
It read:  
  
Life does not always grant us a perfect opportunity.  
  
Many things are a whim of fate.  
  
Many things are a destiny.  
  
And once in a great while, in a singularly beautiful moment-  
  
We are given a say in the matter.  
  
I CHOOSE you as the child of my heart.  
  
All my love, little lamb,  
  
Siahal 


End file.
